Unexpected
by Swimmer200
Summary: Nathan and Haley Scott have faced point-shaving, car accidents, pregnancy, raising a child, & more all before the age of 20. Now that they are settled in their new lives as college students, they believe their worst days are behind them. That is until Haley falls pregnant and the once excited parents are shattered when they receive devistating news at a doctors appointment.


**A/N: Soooo I know this is not another chapter of** _ **Legends,**_ **but I've had this idea in my head for months now and has been something I've wanted to do for a while. However, with** _ **Legends**_ **, I didn't have the time or energy to write this and when I did, I didn't think it was fair for those waiting for a new chapter to create this. Now that my winter break is coming to an end, I knew I wasn't going to have to time to just sit down and write. So I wanted to do this before I lose interest in it. I promise to those who are following** _ **Legends**_ **, I have no intentions of abandoning that story. I love it as much as you all do, but this was just a little inspiration for myself and something I want to share with you all.**

 **This story is hard to swallow and something I wrote and then just stared at for a couple days debating whether or not I should post it. I never ever would want this to happen, but it was just a "what if" kind of thing. I love love LOVE writing emotional Naley and this gave me the chance to do that. This is intended to be a oneshot but if you all want more, I am more than willing to comtinue this story. I hope you all enjoy this story and if you haven't read** _ **Legends**_ **yet, go on over and check it out** **As always, thank you for all the love and support! I hope everyone enjoys this story!**

 _Inside Information: This is set in the college years for Naley. I am picturing Jamie to be about two years old._

Haley pulled into the driveway to the 3-bedroom ranch house she shared husband and best friend exhausted from her day… and it was only half over. She had an 8 o'clock writing class only to run across campus to get to her next class 9:30. After that, she had to take a trip to the store to pick some things up for Jamie. All while trying to make sure she was home by 11:30 so Nathan could get to his noon class. To make things worse, Jamie was up all-night fussing, so Haley had only gotten a total of 3 hours of sleep. The only thing she wanted to do was fall into bed, but she knew Jamie needed to eat lunch, laundry needed to be done, and she needed to do some cleaning around the house before meeting her study group at 7.

Being a mom in college was something she never thought she would do. It was hard, probably one of the hardest, most exhausting things she had ever done, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. She loved Jamie more than anything; he was the best part of her day. While it wasn't planned, it was wonderful.

Upon walking in the door, Haley saw Nathan laying on the floor with her son playing with some blocks. The sight only made her heart flutter. Nathan was such an incredible dad, it never ceased to amaze her.

When Nathan noticed Haley, a smile formed on his face as she greeted her, "Hey, baby. How were your classes?"

Haley shut the door and sighed, "Long and tiring."

Nathan got up from his spot on the floor as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I knew you had only gotten a few hours of sleep, so I did the laundry, did the dishes, and fed Jamie lunch. I figured when he went down for his nap in an hour, you could sleep too."

Haley looked into his eyes with gratitude. How did she end up with the sweetest man in the entire world? She didn't even know what to say. It was moments like this that made her fall in love with him all over again. Not that he had done anything extraordinary in other people's eyes, but what he had done was selfless and it was all for her. The only words that she could form were, "Thank you, Nathan."

"You're welcome," Nathan said with a smile, before grabbing his coat from the hook, "I have to go or I'm going to be late. I'll be back after practice around 6:30, so you can head to your study group."

"Okay. I'll have dinner on the table for you and Lucas, so you can eat as soon as you get home. I'll feed Jamie before I go."

Nathan nodded before leaning down to kiss his son on the head. "Bye, buddy. Be good for your mom. I love you."

The man got up and kissed the woman standing in front of his lightly on the lips and said, "Bye, Hales. I love you."

"I love you too."

**A couple hours later

Thanks to Nathan, Haley was able to play with Jamie for a little bit before putting him down for a nap and taking one herself. The young mom woke up about an hour later feeling queasy. Racing to the bathroom, Haley let go of everything she ate for lunch that day. Sitting on the bathroom floor, Haley moaned. She could not get sick right now. On top of everything else going on, a sick Haley was not in the cards.

Taking the thermometer out of the drawer, Haley checked her temperature She didn't have a fever, that was a good sign. Assuming she just ate something that didn't settle with her stomach, Haley shrugged it off as she crawled back in bed and pulled out her computer. There was no way she was falling back asleep now, so she might as well do something productive until Jamie woke up.

After another forty-five minutes, faint cries starting to sound from the baby monitor as Haley got up to greet her little boy.

Walking into his room, Haley smiled and spoke to her son, "Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well? Huh? Did you have good dreams?"

Haley picked up the toddler and kissed his head as the boy laid his head on her shoulder. He always had a hard time waking up after naps.

Making their way back into Haley's room, Haley sat on her bed with Jamie waiting for him the gain some energy. After a short while, the little boy started moving around and getting antsy. Haley grabbed her computer and Jamie's hand as they walked into the living room.

The mom and son played some games and did some snuggling before Haley realized she had to start making dinner. When she opened the refrigerator to find something to make, the smell of food hit her hard as she felt herself get sick again.

Jamie made his way over to his mom and patted her leg, "Mama sick?"

Haley smiled at her son's concern and bent down to his level to say, "It's okay, Jamie. Mommy's okay."

The little boy gave his mom a hug before toddling away to play with his ball. Haley ran her hand through her hair as she tried to figure out what to do. She couldn't cook if everything she smelled made her sick to her stomach. She didn't even know what was wrong. It was weird that someone would randomly get sick and then again when they smelt food. She didn't even have a fever. Looking back, Haley only had this happen one other time a couple years ago… Haley gasped out loud as a realization came over her. Grabbing her phone, Haley checked the date and placed her hand over her mouth when she realized she was in fact late.

She couldn't be pregnant. Jamie was only two. They were only 20 years old. They were in college and struggling to make it with one child. How were they going to do this? Nathan was so close to getting an offer to a top ten school for basketball. Omg. Nathan. How was he going to take the news? What was he going to do? The last time she told him she was pregnant, he walked out on her. Would he do that again?

Haley's head was filling with a million possibilities as she felt herself start to freak out. Already feeling the tears threaten to spill over, Haley dashed to the bathroom to take a pregnancy test. She had to make sure before she freaked herself out even more. She took the test and left the bathroom as she waited for the results to calculate. She texted Nathan to pick something up for dinner as she wasn't feeling very good. The smell of food wasn't exactly appealing and with the way her fears were increasing with every passing second, Haley wasn't sure she could even concentrate on cooking something.

After another two minutes, Haley worked up enough courage to walk into the bathroom and check the test. Picking it up, Haley counted to three before flipping it over and seeing the positive sign.

Haley stumbled on her feet before sitting down on the edge of the tub. The tears filled her eyes as she looked at the positive test. A part of her was happy, she had always wanted to have a lot of kids, just not now. Having another baby wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but the fear of having two kids was starting to set in. She was barely making it with Jamie and classes and making enough money to survive. Nathan was so close to his dream and after the whole point shaving scandal, he was finally making his way back to the top. This was going to change everything.

Placing her hand on her stomach, Haley surrendered to the tears as they started running down her cheeks. Jamie found his mom in the bathroom and walked over to her, crawling on her lap.

"Wove you, mama."

Haley smiled through her teary eyes at her son and cried, "And I love you, Jamie…so much."

Holding her son close to her chest, Haley rocked him back and forth. She couldn't imagine having another little Jamie running around the house. Well, she could, just now while they were still in college. How could they be so careless? How did this even happen? Okay, she knew how it happened, but at the same time she had no idea. How was she going to tell Nathan?

As if on cue, she heard the door open and Nathan call her name. Haley set Jamie down and whipped away the tears from her eyes as she tried to look as presentable as she could. When she thought she was well enough, she walked out of the bathroom and found Nathan in the kitchen holding Jamie.

When Nathan saw her round the corner into the kitchen he spoke up, "Hey, I got your text. Lucas is getting something. Are you okay? You don't have a fever, do you?"

Haley smiled at his concern and shook her head. When Nathan approached her, he saw the tear marks down her cheeks. The fear came across his face as he asked, "Have you been crying?"

Haley tried to hide it as she shook her head but felt her eyes well again.

"Haley," Nathan sighed, putting Jamie down, "What's going on? Are you hurt?"

Shaking her head, she placed her hands on his chest. She didn't mean to worry him. "No, it's nothing like that."

Getting more concerned with her silence, he asked, "Then what it is? You're starting to freak me out."

Not knowing what to do or even how to break the news to him, Haley whispered, "Wait here." As she went to get the pregnancy test from the bathroom.

When she came back, she sat on the couch and patted down on the spot next to her. When he was situated, Haley started crying again, "I'm so scared, Nathan."

Nathan could feel his mind racing with possibilities of what was going on. Haley wasn't the type of person to break down into tears and _that_ scared him. He just wanted to be supportive but when she didn't give him information, it didn't help his fears from spiraling out of control. Nathan rubbed her back, "Of what? What's going on, baby?"

Handing him the positive test, Haley waited for his response. When all he did was stare at it in shock, Haley felt more tears overflow as she let out a sob.

Nathan looked over at her and asked, "Is this for real?"

Haley nodded and choked back tears, "I took it about an hour ago. I don't know how this happened. I mean, I know, I just didn't expect it. We are still so young and with Jamie and school and you being so close to making it to a top ten school, this is going to change everything. And-"

Haley was cut off when she felt Nathan's lips against her own. That was defiantly not what she was expecting.

When they parted, Nathan was beaming. "We're going to have a baby."

Completely shocked at his reaction, Haley asked, "How are you not scared?"

Nathan kept the smile on his face as he shrugged, "I am, a little, but Haley, we've done it before. Sure, it hasn't been easy, but we've made it work. And while things are going to get harder, we've never let the odds beat us. We've always amazed people, so why stop now. Jamie is the best gift I've ever been given and I'm ready to bring another child into this world if that is what is happening."

For the first time, Haley felt the excitement of the event set in as she looked at the man sitting across from her. He was right. Yeah, it would be difficult, but when has that ever stopped them. As long as she had Nathan by her side and now Jamie, she could face any struggle.

Laughing, Haley leaned into Nathan, "We're going to have a baby."

"God, I love you." Nathan whispered before grabbing her face and pulling her in for another kiss.

When they parted, Haley whispered back, "I love you too. And I love our little family."

**2 months later

The fear from being pregnant was still in the back of Haley's mind, but was full of more excitement. Lucas knew about the pregnancy since Haley still had trouble with the smell of food, but the family was keeping it on the down low just for certain reasons. They were going home in a couple weeks for thanksgiving, so they figured they would wait and tell their families in person.

Haley had arrived home about 10 minutes ago after a morning trip to the park with Jamie. The little boy was so tired that he fell asleep on the way home, so Haley put him down for an early nap. Haley was sitting in the living room working on a paper and was waiting on the arrival of Lucas and Nathan. Luke was going to watch Jamie as the couple went to a doctor's appointment for the baby. Haley was becoming more and more excited as the time went on. Today, they were going to be able to see the baby through an ultrasound and get pictures to bring home.

When the boys finally made it home, Haley raced to the front door to meet her husband. Her exactment was barely contained as she was bouncing on her toes.

As Nathan walked in the door, he laughed at his wife's eagerness, "You ready to go?"

Haley smiled at stood on her tip-toes to place a light kiss on the man's lips. "More than ready."

Looking next to her husband, Haley spoke to her friend, "Jamie just went down for a nap. We should be back in time to give him lunch, but if he gets hungry there is some cut up chicken on a plate in the fridge. He normally wakes up crabby, so just give him a few minutes to-"

Lucas put his hands up to stop his sister-in-law, "Hales, I've watched him before. We're going to be fine."

Even though Luke had watched Jamie more times than she could count, she always made sure to tell him everything. She never liked leaving Jamie with anyone other than Nathan. Call it a mother thing, she really didn't know. Luke was great with Jamie and the little boy adored his uncle. Haley really had nothing to worry about.

"Okay," Haley sighed looking from her friend to her husband, "We better get going or we're going to be late."

Nathan nodded, "Thanks again, Luke."

"Anytime."

Once the young couple made it into the car and were on their way to the doctor's office. Nathan reached over and grabbed Haley's hand. He gave her smaller hand a light squeeze before asking, "So how do you want to tell our families?"

A smile formed on Haley's face as she looked over at her husband to say, "Well, I've been thinking…and I wondered if maybe we could get creative."

"How so?"

"You know how my family always makes place settings out of turkey's?"

When she saw Nathan nod, she continued, "Well, what if we bring one of our own that says, 'baby Scott' and place it on the table. Everyone will notice it when they start looking for their seats. And we could just place it on the table with your mom, Karen and Lucas."

The smile on Haley's face was now mirrored onto Nathan's as he brought her hand up to his lips. "I love it."

"I love _you_."

Nathan looked over at his wife, who was beaming and said, "I love you too, baby."

The Scott's pulled into the parking lot of the OBGYN and felt their heartrates pick up the pace. The memory of their first doctor's visit with Jamie came rushing back to their minds. At the age of 18, the visit wasn't as exciting. They teenagers were scared about everything. They didn't know how to be parents. They didn't think they were ready. But the minute they saw their little boy's face on the screen, the worries all faded away. The human inside Haley was made from the love the shared. What was scary about that?

Making their way into the office, Haley walked up to the desk. "Hi, Haley Scott with an appointment for Dr. Smith."

"Yes, I'll inform the doctor that you're here."

"Thank you."

Sitting down next to her husband in the waiting room, Haley grabbed his hand again. She always felt better when her hand was in his. Not that she was feeling particularly nervous, but it was a sense of comfort when his bigger hand was securely around her smaller one.

Leaning into him, Haley asked, "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

"It's a little early to predict the gender isn't it?"

"Come on, Nathan. What do you think?"

The smile on her face made it impossible to turn her down. He always had the hardest time saying no to her. It was like he was under a spell, a Haley James spell. Making his every move, every decision about her. He would never break free from it nor did he want to. It was the best place to be. The woman sitting next to him was his entire world and Jamie was his other world. And now, this baby would be included in that. He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved Haley, but then Jamie came into this world and proved him wrong. This new baby was going to open his world of love and he couldn't be more excited.

Looking at his wife, Nathan smiled, "I hope it's a little girl. Just like you."

"I hope it's a boy, just like Jamie."

Nathan laughed as he squeezed her hand. "Well, we can find out in a few more weeks."

"Mmm, I can't wait."

Just as Nathan was about to respond, they heard, "Haley Scott."

Nathan and Haley stood up and walked over to the nurse with smiles on their faces. When they made it to their room, Haley made her way over to the table and sat down.

"How far along are we today" The nurse asked Haley.

"About 11 or 12 weeks. Dr. Smith said she would tell us for sure this appointment."

Writing it down on her clipboard the woman asked the next question, "Okay and have you had any sickness?"

"I did earlier but it stopped a couple weeks ago."

The nurse smiled and asked, "Anything you are concerned about that you want to ask before we get started?"

Haley leaned back to lay down and shook her head, "No, just excited."

"Alright, well let's get started."

Haley smiled back at the nurse as she grabbed Nathan's hand.

The nurse started moving the wand over Haley's stomach and after a while, the smile fell from her face as she looked concerned. Haley noticed the change in her behavior as she moved her gaze over to Nathan who gave her an encouraging smile.

Turning her head back to the young lady with the medical equipment, Haley felt herself tense up. Something was wrong, and she wanted to know what it was. Finding the courage, Haley asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm going to get Dr. Smith. I'll be right back." The nurse ran out of the room in a frantic as Haley's eyes filled with tears.

Nathan squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead. It wasn't a secret that there was something wrong, but not knowing what it was, was suffocating. The parents of this child were left in agony, left to pray that everything was okay. Looking up at Haley, he saw the tear tracks down her cheeks and the fear etched in her eyes. He wanted to take away the pain he saw. She was so happy just a few minutes ago, could they just go back in time?

After what felt like an eternity, Dr. Smith walked into the room and moved the wand around, searching for something.

Haley looked from the doctor to the screen in search for something, anything that would tell her everything was okay with her baby. The doctor turned off the machine and whipped off the young mom's stomach, trying to find the right words to say.

The fear in the parent's eyes was intensifying as the doctor sat down in the chair next to the bed, "I'm very sorry, but we can't find a heartbeat."

Haley closed her eyes felt started to sob as Nathan pulled her into his chest. He couldn't believe this was happening. Everything was fine just a few weeks ago. Kissing the top of Haley's head, he felt tears fall from his own eyes. He was just as excited about this event as she was.

Looking up the woman with tear filled eyes, Nathan asked, "Ho-how did this happen? You said everything was fine at our last appointment."

The doctor sighed and nodded, "There is no explanation for things like this. They just happen, more often than I would like to see. You didn't do anything wrong nor did your wife, the baby's heart just…stopped beating. I am very sorry."

Haley choked back another sob and Nathan pulled her in closer. Looking back at the doctor, Nathan asked, "Will this affect us in the future if we decided to have more kids?"

The young medical woman shook her head, "No, Haley is perfectly healthy and can have more children. You can try again in about 6 months if you chose to do so."

Nathan nodded and kissed the top of Haley's head as she shook in his arms. It was going to take more than six months to get over this.

Dr. Smith stood from her seat and walked to the door, "Take your time leaving today. I'll leave some things at the front desk on what to do from here. And again, I am very sorry."

Nathan nodded as he put his head down on top of Haley's and rocked his wife back and forth on the bed. "It's okay. We are going to be okay."

Haley couldn't even find the strength to yell back at him. Nothing about this was okay. The only thing she could do and wanted to do was cry. She just lost her baby. How was that okay?

After another 10 minutes of crying in each other's arms, Nathan whispered, "You ready to go home?"

Haley nodded lightly as she started to get up slowly before bursting into tears again.

Nathan pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Oh, Hales."

Through sobs, Haley asked, "What are we going to do?"

Nathan didn't know how to answer that because he honestly didn't know what they were going to do next. They were grieving, and it was going to take a lot to make it through this. This was something you don't forget once it happens. This was something that stayed with you for your whole life. It's something you don't really get over, just something you learn to live with.

"I don't know, babe. Just take it day by day, I guess."

Haley wasn't playing nice anymore. She fired back at him, "Day by day! How am I supposed to wake up every day and know our baby is dead?"

The words she spoke stung his heart. No one had said the words out loud yet. The word "dead." That wasn't supposed to happen. Parents aren't supposed to bury their children. He knew Haley was only speaking in grief, but the words still hurt. "I don't know, Hales. I don't know how we are supposed to do this. I wish I had an answer, but I don't…I'm sorry."

Haley wiped away the tears from her cheeks. She couldn't be here anymore. Not in this office. She just wanted to go home and cry herself to sleep. Nothing was ever going to be okay again. "I want to go home."

Nathan nodded as she wrapped his arm around her waist. The couple walked out of the office heartbroken. This was not how the pictured their day to unfold. This was not supposed to happen to them. This wasn't supposed to happen to anyone. Getting through this was going to be the hardest thing they'd ever do.

The ride home was quiet, but necessary. Both Nathan and Haley needed time to process what just happened and find a way to deal with it themselves. When they walked in the door, Jamie was on the floor with Lucas and immediately recognized his parents, squealing.

The little boy toddled over to his mom and yelled, "Mama!"

Haley felt more tears threaten to spill over as she looked down at her son. He was so perfect. Her baby boy. The little boy lifted his hands above his head and asked, "Uppy?"

Haley picked the boy up and kissed his head and held him close to her chest. Walking more into the house, Haley went straight to her room with Jamie. Lucas got up from the floor to meet his brother in the middle of the living room. Haley never acted that way unless something was wrong. The silence in the house was become uncomfortable.

As Lucas got closer, he saw the tears forming in his brother's eyes, "What's wrong, Nate?"

Nathan looked at his brother and took a deep breath as the tears started falling from his eyes. "Haley…Haley had a miscarriage."

The younger Scott brother felt like someone just punched him in the stomach as he heard the news. After everything Nathan and Haley had been through, the world just kept throwing things at them. It wasn't fair.

Lucas didn't even know what to say. How did he respond? Even though Nathan was his brother, there were no right words for a situation like this. Knowing it wasn't what his younger brother wanted to hear, Luke said it anyway. He couldn't just stand here in silence. "Nate, I'm…I'm so sorry. How's Haley?"

Nathan fell onto the couch and cried, "Not good. You saw her. She's completely shattered. And I don't know what to do."

Lucas was heartbroken as well. He was looking forward to becoming an uncle again. As much as it hurt, he knew Nathan and Haley were hurting more. "What can I do to help? Do you want me to take Jamie for the day, give you guys some alone time?"

Nathan shrugged. He honestly had no idea what Haley wanted. "I don't know. Let me go check on Haley and I'll let you know."

Nathan made his way over to his bedroom and knocked lightly before entering. When he opened the door, the sight he walked in on was heartbreaking. Haley was crying into a pillow clinging to Jamie as he tried to wipe away his mom's tears.

Walking over to their bed, Nathan leaned down and kissed Haley's head. Jamie looked up at his dad and pointed at Haley, "Mama sad."

Squatting down next to the bed, Nathan nodded, "Yeah, buddy. Mama's sad."

The little boy kissed his mom's cheek and smiled, "All bedder."

Haley held back a sob as Nathan picked up Jamie from the bed and kissed his head. "You wanna go to the park with uncle Lucas, buddy?"

Haley leaned up on her elbow and looked over at Nathan. "He's leaving?"

"Unless you don't want him to. I just thought you might want some alone time after…" He trailed off as he looked at his wife.

Haley shook her head, "I want him here, next to me."

Nathan sat Jamie down on the bed and nodded softly, "Okay."

Haley held Jamie close to her chest as the little boy played with her hand. It was a habit Jamie had done since he was born. Whenever he was tired, Jamie fiddle with the fingers of the person holding him. The simple action brought tears to Haley's eyes. Jamie was unplanned and at the beginning, Haley was petrified, and she didn't know the joy that would come from a baby. The miracle of life, knowing the tiny human she held was created from the love she and her husband shared. She never would have pictured being a mom in college, but it was something she wouldn't change for the world. She loved being a mom. Jamie was her pride and joy. He was her and Nathan's miracle.

She never would have thought her new tiny miracle would be taken away from her. The love she had for someone she hadn't even met yet was unreal. Sure, at the beginning, she was afraid of the changes a new baby would bring, but after the initial shock set in, Haley was excited about meeting her new bundle of joy. Now, all of that was gone. The dreams and plans they created came crashing down. She didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl. They would ever know if they had another son or a new daughter.

Haley knew this kind of thing happened all the time, but she never thought it would happen to her. The thought didn't even cross her mind. Now that it was happening, she didn't know what to do. How did people get through this pain? It was too much to bare. She just wanted it to go away. She wanted everything to be okay again. Why did this have to happen to her? What did she do wrong?

Kissing the little boy in her arms, Haley felt new tears spring from her eyes. This was not okay. It was never going to be okay. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Nathan watched as Haley cried herself to sleep and felt his heart break with every single tear that fell from her face. How were they supposed to get through this? Were they going to be okay by Thanksgiving? Could Haley face her family? Would she even want to go home? The questions that were forming in his head were becoming too much. The images of having a little girl had already been processed and now, burned in the ashes. He was so excited to have another baby. Another little human running around, created by the love he shared with his wife. There was nothing he wanted more. And now that was gone.

It wasn't fair. Every single time they overcame an obstacle, another arose. It was like they couldn't catch a break. They would come up for air and get trampled by another wave. The pain in his chest was ready to burst. The pain from the event and watching Haley bare the pain as well. He hated nothing more than seeing her in pain, especially when he couldn't fix it. There was nothing Nathan could do to make all this go away or even get better. Jamie looked at him with the blue eyes Nathan gave him and felt a few tears fall down his cheeks. He couldn't take this anymore. He needed to get out of the house.

Nathan grabbed his coat and mumbled something to Lucas about going for a run and left the house. He just needed to clear his head. Too much had happened in the last couple hours.

Haley awoke a couple hours later and hoped everything was a dream. When she saw the tear marks on her pillow, she knew it wasn't. Taking a deep breath, Haley looked around the empty room. Jamie was with her when she fell asleep. Where was he?

Getting up, Haley grabbed one of Nathan's sweatshirts from the closet held it up to her nose. The smell of her husband always brought comfort to her. She needed that right now, so she threw it over her head and emerged from the room. When she walked down the hallway, she found Lucas and Jamie in the living room playing with some cars.

Lucas looked up and saw his best friend looking down at them. He smiled up at her, "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Haley sighed as she sat down next to her son and kissed his head. She honestly didn't know how she was. She was angry and hurt and heartbroken at the fact she would never meet her baby. She didn't know what to do or even how to get over this. All she knew was that what happened to her wasn't fair. But she couldn't change it. She couldn't fix it. It just is.

Realizing that Lucas was waiting for an answer, she said, "I'm hurting."

Lucas admired his best friend's strength. He didn't know how she did everything she did. This woman gave up her dream school and better career to follow her husband to some tiny little college just so he could follow his dream. On top of that, she became a mom and a pretty great one. And through all of it, she kept a smile on her face, embracing every moment. He didn't know if he could do what she had done.

He grabbed her hand and nodded, "Yeah."

Looking around and realizing Nathan was missing, she asked, "Umm where's Nathan?"

"He said he was going on a run, but that was a couple hours ago. I'm getting a little worried about him."

Haley sighed as she nodded her head. He always went for a run when he needed to clear his head. When he took longer ones, he was contemplating something serious. Haley started feeling guilty that she never let him open up to her. All she did was cry and she never let him speak. This wasn't just happening to her, it was happening to both of them.

Haley got up and went to grab her cell phone. Pressing the speed dial, she prayed he brought his with him. She wanted him home. She wanted him to talk to her. She wanted to talk to him. This situation was still very new and stung in their hearts. They needed to lean on each other.

When he didn't answer, Haley left a message, "Hi Nathan, it's me. Please come home. I'm worried about you and besides that, we need to talk. Okay… I love you."

Haley walked back to the living room with her cell phone in hand. Right before she sat down, the door opened as Nathan walked in.

Haley met his soft blue eyes and sighed. She wanted their baby to have those breath taking blue eyes. Feeling herself get teary eyed at the thought, she walked over to the man and wrapped her arms around him. When she felt him wrap his arms around her, she let it all out. She didn't even hear Lucas leave the room with Jamie.

Haley cried as she spoke into his sweaty shirt, "I'm sorry. I-I should have let you talk to me about what you're feeling. Th-the only thing I could think about was wh-why is this happening to me? And I-I forgot it's happening to both of us. Not just me. And I'm angry and hurt and I'm I'm-I'm sss-sorry, Nathan."

Nathan rubbed her back with his arms and kissed her head as she spoke. Why was she apologizing for grieving? She was dealing with this her own way and had no reason to be sorry. "Oh Haley. Baby, you have no reason to be sorry. I know how much you are hurting right now and you have every right to be. This is something no one should ever go through and I'm so sorry it happened to you."

Haley lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes, "It's happening to us, Nathan. We are both grieving, and I want you to know that you don't have to do it alone. I am here for you."

Nathan kissed her head as he pulled her back into his chest, "I'm here for you too. Whatever you need, I'm here."

"I love you, Nathan."

"I love you too."

After a couple minutes of silence, Haley spoke up, "I wanted another little boy with those blue eyes and raven black hair…a miniature you running around."

Nathan pulled her in closer as he said, "No, I wanted a little girl. Just like you. Someone I could look at and feel my heart break because she reminded me so much of her beautiful, kind, strong mother."

Haley chocked back another sob as she said, "God, it hurts so bad. The pain in my chest just gets deeper every time I think about it."

Nathan wrapped his arms around her tighter and kissed the top of her head saying, "I know it does. I feel it too, but we are going to get through this."

Haley shook her head at his words. With the way she was feeling right now, it didn't seem like anything was going to be okay again. She had just lost a part of herself in her child. That was something that could never be replaced. Feeling as though she asked this a million times, she did it again, "How? How do we just go on with our lives after this?"

Nathan pulled back and looked into her beautiful eyes. "We take it day by day. We grieve and cry and get angry when we need to. But no matter what, I'm never leaving your side. We can do this…together."

Haley closed her eyes and nodded her head. He was right. The pain she felt right now was nothing like she had ever felt before. And she was sure it would always remain in her heart, but just get lighter as the days, weeks, and months passed. There was nothing she could do to fix it. There was nothing anyone could do. As much as it pained her to live her life knowing what had happened, she knew she had to. As long as she had Nathan and Jamie, she could do just about anything…even this.

Opening her eyes, Haley connected her brown orbs with his blue ones and formed a slight smile. "Always and forever."

"Always and forever."


End file.
